How to Improve Your Brain Health through Food & Supplements + a Giveaway!

Hello my friends!

Do you find yourself walking into a room and thinking “what was I coming in here for?” or “where did I put my keys?” or even when you are talking and all of a sudden you forget what you were going to say?

Memory starts to shrink as early as age 35 & it continues to shrink 0.5% a year which means that age 55 your memory has shrunk 10%!

Diet plays a key role in supporting your brain & memory. Your brain consumes 20% of the food energy you consume. So, the type of fuel you give your brain through food and supplementation has a huge impact on how you think, feel & experience life.

To function properly, your brain needs the energy you get from food.

To improve your memory, it is just as important to REMOVE certain foods from your diet as it is to ADD certain foods and supplements to it. Foods that are scientifically proven to boost your memory and brain health.

Foods to Remove

• Sugar – I know you’ve heard how bad sugar is for our bodies, but it’s also bad for our brain health. Eating too much sugar can contribute to the shrinking of your hippocampus – the memory section of your brain. Research suggests that sugar forms free radicals in the brain that compromises the nerve cells’ ability to communicate. The USDA recommends staying under 10 teaspoons (40 grams) of added sugar a day. (this doesn’t mean natural sugars found in fruit & vegetables)
• Salt – An essential mineral, salt, is something we need to survive, but the average American eats 3,400 mg/day – USDA recommends 1,500 mg/day.
• Trans Fat – Found in fried foods, margarine, shortening, non-dairy creamers, ice cream, cake mixes, frozen dinners, cookies, crackers & more!

Foods & Supplements to Add

• B-12 – found in meat, fish & dairy and is critical to brain health. B-12 helps transform the food you eat into the usable energy form your body and brain need to perform properly. Up to 40% of older adults have B-12 deficiencies. Long term B-12 deficiency can lead to permanent nerve & brain damage, brain atrophy, dementia & Alzheimer’s.
• Omega-3’s – Specifically DHA, which helps reduce inflammation in the brain.
• Mediterranean Diet = diet recommended by most scientists and nutritionists for a healthy brain, heart & body. Those who follow a healthy diet combined with exercise have a whopping 65% lower chance of getting Alzheimer’s disease.
• More Brain Healthy Foods to ADD:
  • Organic Olive Oil
  • Garlic
  • Peas
  • Blueberries
  • Green Tea
  • Kale
  • Nuts & Seeds
  • Fatty Fish (salmon, trout, mackerel, herring & sardines)
  • Tomatoes
  • Pumpkin Seeds
  • Black Currants
  • Broccoli
  • Sage
  • Eggs

Why Supplements are Necessary for Optimal Brain Health

This post may include affiliate link(s), meaning, at no cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I only recommend and link to products that I personally use and/or recommend. In some cases it lets me offer you a discount like the ProSource discount where you can save 15% using code: CARRIEFIT

Today’s food contains a fraction of the nutrients it had 50 years ago. For example, tomatoes contain 50% less nutritional value than the tomatoes our grandparents ate.

Supplementing your diet is a great way to bridge the gap in your diet and give your body & your brain the nutrition it needs.

One of my favorite supplements that is specifically designed for brain health is BriteShield and BriteSmart from BriteFocus.

BriteSmart is a top brain performance formula that contains Ceretrophin; a proprietary blend of clinically-proven ingredients that help to optimize brain function, improve memory, enhance mental focus and increase brain energy. After undergoing years of research, these safe and natural ingredients are proven to support healthy brain cell communication while increasing cerebral blood circulation and the intake of oxygen and glucose. Combined with proper exercise and rest, BriteSmart helps to improve brain performance.

Key ingredients:

• Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC) – is perhaps the one true miracle molecule, especially for your brain (and heart). ALC has multiple roles in the protection, preservation and performance of your brain cells. It increases brain blood flow as well as the synthesis and utilization of acetylcholine (ACh), a key neurotransmitter for mental clarity, memory and focus. It improves the energy output of your mitochondria, helps stabilize the neural membrane, and protects both from free radical damage. ALC has been shown to protect the brain even after a head injury or stroke, and it helps accelerate the healing of damaged neurons.
• Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) – is a powerful antioxidant and neuro-protector. It increases brain levels of glutathione, and important antioxidant, brain protector and immune system booster. ALA also improves blood sugar balance, lowers insulin resistance, and reduces the glycation of proteins, or AGE plaques, which can cause major problems in the brain. It has been shown to improve memory and actually reverse neuropathy.
• Rhodiola (RHO) – is an herbal supplement that appears to buffer the brain against the negative effects of stress (cortisol) and other environmental, physical and biochemical stressors such as, work fatigue. RHO is especially effective in improving mental and physical mental performance in demanding situations. RHO increases several neurotransmitters including dopamine, which regulates focus (attention) and moods, and norepenephrine, which regulates alertness and long term memory function.
• Vinpocetine(VIN) – is a natural extract of the beautiful periwinkle flower, vinca minor. It increases cerebral vascular blood flow, thus enhancing the flow of nutrients, oxygen, glucose and neurotransmitter substrates, e.g., choline to the brain. VIN has been shown to improve memory and brain processing speed. It also increases brain glucose metabolism and increases the mitochondria’s generation ATP, which improves brain energy as well as mood, memory and other mental functions.
• Huperzine A (HUP) – is derived from Chinese Club Moss (Huperia serrata). HUP has been shown to improve memory, protect brain cells both from free radical and glutamate “excitotoxicity”, a highly damaging condition found in accelerated brain aging and Alzheimer’s. HUP also stimulates the acetylcholine receptors making them more sensitive to existing levels of ACh. HUP may also act as a brain metabolic enhancer.

BriteShield is a brain protection formula that contains Cereprotectin, a proprietary blend of nutraceutical ingredients designed to help protect the brain against the risk of cell damage from free radicals and toxins that contribute to the aging process. BriteShield is the perfect companion to BriteSmart brain performance formula.

Key ingredients:

• Curcumin (CUR) – The active polyphenol compound in the bright yellowish orange spice, Turmeric, CUR is a powerful COX-2 inhibitor. It also reduces brain inflammation. Perhaps most remarkably it has demonstrated the ability to reduce and prevent the formation of the telltale Alzheimer’s plaques known as beta amyloid, or Abeta.
• N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) – an amino acid with powerful neuroprotective and anti-oxidant actions, even down at the mitochondrial level. NAC and glutathione fight brain inflammation as well as free radicals. NAC lowers brain damaging homocysteine levels. Some studies suggest that combining NAC with other anti-oxidants and the B vitamins significantly reduces the risk for developing Alzheimer’s later in life. In fact, NAC has been shown to improve cognitive function in a group with elevated homocysteine, an acknowledged brain toxin.
• Quercetin – is a dietary flavonoid found in many plants, including tea, apple, onion, ginkgo biloba and citrus. Quercetin has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, nitric oxide inhibitor, and tyrosine kinase inhibitor (leading to inhibition of the division and growth of T-cells and some cancer cells) activity. The anti-inflammatory effects of quercetin appear to be due to inhibition of the production and activity of leukotrienes and prostaglandins, and inhibition of histamine. Quercetin also appears to reduce capillary fragility.
• R-Alpha Lipoic Acid (R-ALA) – is the R form of ALA, it increases brain levels of glutathione, an important antioxidant, brain protector and immune system booster. ALA also improves blood sugar balance, lowers insulin resistance, and reduces the glycation of proteins, or AGE plaque formation. It has been shown to improve memory and actually reverse neuropathy. ALA, when combined with acetyl-l-carnitine has shown remarkable synergistic effects in slowing down brain aging at the mitochondrial level.
• Resveratrol (RES) – resveratrol was reported to slow aging and increase lifespan in simple organisms and has been suggested as a potential calorie restriction mimetic and anti-aging nutrient. RES has been found to protect the brain against the neurotoxic and degenerative effects of beta amyloid (aka Abeta), the neuro-toxic protein that builds up in the brain tissue of people with Alzheimer’s disease and kill neurons.
• B12 – found in meat, fish & dairy and is critical to brain health. B-12 helps transform the food you eat into the usable energy form your body and brain need to perform properly. Up to 40% of older adults have B-12 deficiencies. Long term B-12 deficiency can lead to permanent nerve & brain damage, brain atrophy, dementia & Alzheimer’s.

“I have use BriteShield for over 200 patients. The response is overwhelmingly positive. They feel brighter and more energetic. Their memory has improved and they feel an overall improvement in function. BriteFocus has the ingredients most recommended by neurologists who specialize in Alzheimer’s disease, primarily Reseratrol and Turmeric. It is a great formula that I will continue to use in my DEAR Alzheimer’s prevention program.” – Dr. Vincent Fortanasce, World Famous Neurologist

I’ve started taking this powerful brain combo pack about 2 weeks ago and I’m starting to notice more focus and concentration (Squirrel!) lol just kidding. I know that I have some trouble focusing and remembering things so to be proactive with my health I will continue taking these supplements to improve my memory and brain health.

BriteFocus is a fabulous company to work with and I love all the research and clinical studies that they have done to prove that their products (specifically the combination of ingredients they use) work, so you know you aren’t just taking unnecessary supplements in hopes that they work.

BriteFocus has sent me an extra set of products to giveaway!! You will win 1 bottle of BriteSmart and 1 bottle of BriteShield.

Enter Giveaway HERE (ended 8/16/2018)

If you don’t want to wait for the giveaway to end, BriteFocus has given me a special discount code to share with all my followers: HFB25  — This gives you 25% off your entire order, plus free shipping. (one time use only)

Please consult with your doctor or nutritionist before adding any new supplements to your diet.

Stay Healthy(and Brite) my Friends!

XO,

Carrie A Groff